Garnier Men sets on to light up villages, again

The first phase of the 'PowerLight A Village' saw 800 Indian villages benefitted by rural electrification.

India is a land of paradoxes. While the affluent Indians can easily afford the fastest cars and trendiest fashion, as per official records, close to 400 million villagers across 72,000 villages in India still live in darkness after sunset.

In March, Garnier Men launched a social campaign called PowerLight a Village with an aim to light up hundreds of villages in India that are without electricity. For this, Garnier Men collaborated with Project Chirag as implementation partner.

The campaign promised that every action made online would be translated into actual energy donation on-ground in the villages. Every like, share and comment across the Garnier Men social media platforms contributed a pre-determined unit of energy. It also encouraged people to be a part of a movement that promised to provide villages with one solar lamp that also has an in-built mobile charging unit, one solar tube light and one solar panel to charge equipment.

Till date, as the 'PowerLight A Village' cause enters its second phase, a claimed number of close to 800 households across India have been benefited via the process of rural electrification with over 1,271,770 watts generated online.

According to Foxymoron, the digital agency that has executed the campaign, the initiative has so far received 5600 tweets enabling Garnier Men to reach out to more than a million consumers and encouraged them to participate in the campaign.

In the second phase, the brand has launched a digital video campaign promoting the cause and asking people to contribute and engage more. The video also aims to elaborate on the hardships that the villagers face on a day to day basis. As an extension of its Men Who Matter initiative, 'PowerLight A Village' is being driven digitally to enable the brand's social media community to contribute virtually.

A Facebook app has also been created for PowerLight A Village, which is being shared along with the updates. People need to 'like' the page to access the app, beginning their quota of energy donation. Divided into three sections - The Movement, The Contribution and The Impact - the app with its appealing line drawing explains the concept in 'The Movement'. The Contribution displays the virtual watts generated by the campaign in real time through the energy meter.

Speaking about the launch of the second phase of the campaign, Satyaki Ghosh, director, L'Oréal consumer products division India, says, "PowerLight A Village' is a great message, especially for the youth of the nation. We feel that if we can work efficiently with our conscience and consumers, then we can make our society a better place to live in. 'PowerLight A Village' will help us spread smiles and bring light by using renewable sources of energy like solar energy. Consumers are invited to make a difference in simple and multiple ways like actively participating in digital forums like Facebook and Twitter."

Harshil Karia, co-founder and online strategist, FoxyMoron, comments, "We believe that a brand speaks through its actions more than advertisements and are humbled to be associated with Garnier Men which has taken this bold step through the 'PowerLight A Village' campaign. We have received tremendous support from all the fans who truly care and believe in this cause. It will be our aim to continue to drive strong engagement to light up not only homes but lives of people living in darkness."

'PowerLight A Village' is an extension of the 'Men Who Matter' initiative by Garnier Men India and is driven by the two million+ followers on Facebook. Through the 'PowerLight A Village' campaign, Garnier Men extends its tagline 'Take Care', broadening it from a personal statement to include the society at large.